[ad_1]
US President Donald Trump claimed he “won” the presidential election when he made his first public appearance in a week at the White House on Friday.
Speaking during a press conference on prescription drug prices, he said that drug companies had put “millions of dollars in negative ads against me during the campaign, which I won by the way, but you know, we’ll find out. Almost 74 million votes ”.
Trump’s Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, was declared the winner of the November 3 election two weeks ago after obtaining the required number of votes from the electoral college. But the president has refused to accept the result.
Trump’s appearance in the White House press room came ahead of a meeting with Republican members of the Michigan state legislature amid signs that the president is trying to encourage Republican-controlled states to certify the choice for him, even if Joe Biden won.
Hours earlier, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany denied that the meeting was related to her presidential campaign.
“This is not a promotion meeting. There will be no one from the campaign there. He regularly meets with legislators from all over the country, ”he said about the president.
When asked when Trump was going to grant the election, he said: “There is ongoing litigation. There are 74 million Americans who voted for this president; that’s more votes than any president in history has gotten. It is truly extraordinary. And there are very real claims that the campaign is pursuing, “he said, stating that people” deserve to be heard. “
The Trump administration’s new focus on the role of states in officially announcing the election result comes as states across the country prepare to certify the results in each state by Dec. 14, when the electoral College.
In Georgia, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger certified Biden as the winner of all 16 electoral votes for the southern state after a recount. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp must certify the results before 5 p.m. Saturday, though the Trump campaign may request a recount. Trump has already urged Kemp to intervene.
“Everybody knows that we won the state. Where is @BrianKempGA? “he tweeted last week.
Unusual movement
In a highly unusual move, both Republican senators representing Georgia asked Raffensperger, himself a Republican, to resign, citing unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud. But Raffensperger has refused. In announcing the results of the count, he said the numbers were correct.
“I live by the motto that the numbers don’t lie,” he said Friday, underscoring the fact that he, too, is a Republican. “Like other Republicans, I am disappointed that our candidate did not win the electoral votes of Georgia,” he said.
Vice President Mike Pence campaigned on behalf of Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, who face the January runoff elections in Georgia on Friday. Speaking at a packed event where supporters shouted “stop the robbery,” Mr. Pence said: “We are going to keep fighting until every legal vote is counted. We are going to keep fighting until all illegal votes are removed.”
Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized Trump and Republicans for not accepting Biden’s victory.
“Let’s hope for the best,” he said. “Hopefully there are enough Republicans who say, ‘This is America, people’s voices count and that should be respected.’
She spoke before her first meeting with Biden since her election which will take place later on Friday.
Meanwhile, the president-elect’s top legal adviser, Bob Bauer, said Trump “had no chance” of overturning the election result.
“The bottom line is this … the election is over. Everyone outside the small circle that includes Donald Trump, Jenna Ellis and Rudy Guiliani knows that the election is over,” he told reporters Friday, referring to attorneys for the President.
[ad_2]